I'll be There for You
by LitLover 101
Summary: All Hayley wanted was to run her own business and to raise Hope. When her bakery is closed due to money troubles she finds herself looking for her child's father. What she finds is that the father is engaged and has an older brother, Elijah, who is more than willing to be helpful. How can her plan go wrong as long as she remembers to not be drawn into the Mikaelson family drama?
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: I don't own **_**The **__**Originals**_**. That honor goes to Julie Plec, Michael Narducci and the CW. **

**Hello, my lovely readers. So, this is the second story that features Haylijah as the central couple. Everyone in this story is human. I'm super excited about publishing this fic because I love Haylijah. Without further ado…**

Chapter 1: What Can Go Wrong…

Puffing out a long sigh, Hayley looked up at the For Sale sign above the entrance of her first attempt at a self-owned business. She should have known that it was too good to be true. There were just too many other bakeries in New Orleans and hers was just too small. Afford advertising? Are you kidding me? Right. Sure. She was lucky to be able to keep new shoes on her feet every year after the original pair fell apart.

Cursing her luck, Hayley headed down the street. Things could get worse. They could always be worse. That was what she would have to hold onto. The idea that no matter how bad things got that she could always find solace that she was not all the way at the bottom. Turning around the corner, crossing the street and stopping in front of a tall building, Hayley dug out her key and opened the front door.

Entering, she hurried up the stairs past the loud neighbors on the first floor and the second where the creepy guy who she was sure stole her underwear on laundry day, lived, she managed to arrive on the third without too much trouble. Feeling relieved, she walked down the hall and then felt her stomach drop. "No. No NO," Hayley moaned as she pulled the eviction notice off the door.

Staring at the notice in horror, Hayley felt tears fill her eyes but she forced them down. She could not let Hope see her like that. Forcing the key into the lock with an unsteady hand, Hayley walked into the cramped apartment and smiled at the little girl sitting on the floor. She was drawing and took a second to realize that someone had entered the room. Then she looked up and grinned widely. "Mommy," climbing to her feet, the tiny girl came rushing at her mother like a tiny cannonball.

"Hi, Hope," Hayley said, leaning down and picking her daughter up.

"Hey, Hayley," Davina Claire called as she pushed herself to her feet. Davina was a God send and Hayley would not know what to do if the girl and her best friend, Josh, did not live down the hall from Hayley and Hope. They would be up the creek without a paddle for sure. Between the young people who were still in their teens but were geniuses with Hope, they kept an eye on Hayley's offspring while she was at work.

"How did your day go?" Hayley asked Davina who was in the middle of yawning and stretching.

"Oh, the usual. We drew. Had some lunch. Made some prank phone calls," Davina made the last remark with a glint in her eye that told Hayley she was kidding. Or at least Hayley hoped that she was kidding.

"And how was your day?" Davina inquired as she packed her bag up to leave.

"Same old, same old," Hayley replied with a forced smile even though the girl was not looking at her yet.

"What's that?" Hope asked, reaching out with the wide, inquisitive eyes of a three year old. Her hand was moving toward the eviction notice clutched in Hayley's hand. What would come next was Hope not knowing what the word was and then she would try to give the paper to Davina to read to her like another of her numerous fairy tales.

"Nothing, baby girl," Hayley murmured, shoving the paper hastily into her purse. "So, Davina, I know that I already owe you for last week but do you think that you could hold on until this Friday for your check?" Hayley hated to ask the question. She felt like the biggest jerk on the earth but right now she had to make sure that her daughter ate this week.

Shaking her head, Davina rolled her eyes. "You know that you don't have to pay me period, Hayley. Josh and I love Hope. We'd happily watch her for free."

"No," Hayley said swiftly and a little too loudly making both Davina and Hope stare at her in shock. "I am not going to have you working for me and not pay you. That's just not the way I am."

"It's a pride thing," Davina finished for Hayley whose cheeks flushed red.

"Yeah, I suppose it is a pride thing," Hayley said slowly, thinking about how that would be accompanied with a fall. And she had already fallen a few too many times lately. Maybe it was time to push the pride down and force herself to do something that she really did not want to do…

"Pay whenever you have the money," Davina said as she walked to the front door and unlocked it. "I'll see you later, Princess," she called from the door, waving at Hope who blew her kisses. As the door closed, Hayley sat her daughter back down and walked over to her desk in the corner.

Sitting down and peering at her daughter who had walked back over to her picture, Hayley placed her head in her hands. What was she going to do? She had lost her only source of income and she had no one to go to at this point. She was already up to her ears in debt. There were student loans from culinary school. There was the loan from the bank and then too many private sources who had donated money to her dream of owning her own bakery. Now, that dream was no more. She was utterly and completely screwed. Who was she supposed to go to now?

Leaning back in her seat, Hayley looked at her daughter who was moving toward her with the picture in her hands. "Look what I made for you, Mommy," Hope said, coming to stand in front on Hayley who pulled her into her lap.

"What is it?" Hayley asked, looking at the drawing that looked like small people that were a little more than stick figures but could still be anyone.

"That's you," Hope said, pointing at the stick woman with long brown hair. "That's me," Hope placed a finger over a tiny figure with long blonde curls that reflected her daughter's hair only Hope's was beginning to darken. "And that is Daddy." Hope said proudly, pointing at a tall man with hair that was much darker than Hope's biological father's and was very straight. Again, unlike Hope's father's hair.

"Honey, why do you think your father looks like that?" Hayley asked, placing her head atop her daughter's.

"Don't know. It's just when I think of daddy, that's how he looks. Can I take a nap, Mommy?" Hope asked, rubbing at her eye lids. It was eight o'clock in the evening and if she went to sleep now she would probably be up early but that might not be a bad idea.

Hayley smiled. "Yes." Getting up, she carried her daughter who was already half-asleep to bed.

After tucking Hope in, Hayley strode back into the living room and turned the TV on low before sitting down on the couch. Not paying attention to what was on the screen, Hayley felt tears pool in her eyes again. 'What was she going to do?' she thought while she stared helplessly at the ceiling and then it occurred to her. Sitting up, she stood and marched over to her computer. It did not take her long to find his address even though it was not listed in the yellow pages.

Feeling relieved, like she had actually gotten something done for the day, Hayley retreated to her room and went to sleep as soon as her head hit the pillow. Sure enough when the sun rose, so did her daughter. "Wake up, Mommy," Hope cried with a giggle as she bounced on top of the bed. Hayley groaned. It bothered her that Hope could climb up that high. She could only imagine the other places that her only child might try to climb to and she felt like a lousy parent.

"Make me breakfast," Hope demanded as Hayley opened her eyes.

Smiling, Hayley grabbed her daughter and rolled over, tossing the child down beside her to the sound of loud giggles. "How about I take you out for breakfast?" Hayley suggested.

"McD's. I want a toy," Hope said with wide, sparkling eyes. "Please, Oh, please, please, PLlllEeeeeeAaaaaAaSssSSEEEEEE."

"Why not? Up we go." Hayley got to her feet and walked around the bed before pulling Hope off the bed and carrying her under one arm to the bathroom as Hope held her arms out with her legs positioned straight, making "airplane" noises. "First we clean our teeth, get a shower and put on our nice clothes 'cause we're going to see someone special today."

"Who?" Hope inquired around the toothbrush that Hayley was brushing her daughter's teeth with.

"It's a surprise," Hayley replied as she jammed a toothbrush in her own mouth. She just hoped that she did not come to regret her decision. Half an hour later they were clean and Hayley was on the search for clothes. She had no idea what to wear and unfortunately the nicest clothes she had for herself and Hope were for the funeral of a friend worn six months ago. The dress was a bit short on Hope and velvet in July seemed a bit much.

"Damn," Hayley muttered to herself as she took the dress back off her daughter and walked over to the dresser. "Screw it," she whispered, grabbing a plain cotton dress that she had purchased at a second hand store. Pulling the dress over Hope's head before grabbing a pair of jean shorts and a lace top for herself, Hayley dressed quickly. She really could care what the person she was going to see thought of her clothes.

Taking Hope's hand, Hayley took the time to grab her keys, purse and cell before closing and locking the door. Picking Hope up, Hayley hurried down the stairs and out into the humid air. Moving through the crowded streets, she made her way to McDonald's, holding her breath as she waited for the line to move. She gave her order on auto pilot before collecting the food and moving to a table in a corner.

Tapping her fingers on the table, Hayley watched her daughter eat her breakfast. "Aren't you hungry, Mommy?" Hope asked, her mouth full of pancake.

"Nope. Don't talk with your mouth full," Hayley ordered her child who looked down, her cheeks flushing as she ate. It wasn't long before they were leaving and Hayley was hailing a cab. It would be great if she did not have to regret spending the money on the cab. Getting out and paying the driver, Hayley took Hope's hand firmly in hers. Striding up to the front door of the large, old plantation house, Hayley sucked in a deep breath before she knocked on the door, with a heavy first.

Waiting at the door with her heart pounding in her chest, Hayley felt her body deflate when a young man in his mid-twenties answered the door. He cocked his head to the side with a half-smile directed first at Hayley and then at Hope. "Hello, can I help you?" the man asked, his voice coming out calmly and smoothly.

"I don't know," Hayley said, looking for the address again. "I'm sorry. Maybe I got the wrong house. Oh, that would be just my luck." Backing up with Hope's hand clutched firmly in hers, Hayley began to walk away to look for the address again. It would have to be on the mail box. Then again, maybe he moved. Yeah, that would be just her luck. Picking up her daughter, she rested the child on her hip.

The man seemed to be following her as she stepped off the porch and Hayley felt her heart begin to pound again. "What if this guy is some kind of psycho?' she thought.

"Are you looking for someone specific, Ma'am?" the man called, Hayley glanced at him. He had his hand jammed in his right pocket and there was that teasing half-smile again.

"I doubt you've ever met him, his name's Klaus," Hayley told him quickly as she moved farther away from him. She wanted to place more distance between them. He was too close, invading her personal space as he came to stand beside her.

"Ah, and why are you looking for him?" the man inquired, his eyebrows rising.

Hayley's eyes widened. "You know him?"

"Yes, quite well. How do you know him?" the man asked Hayley.

Narrowing her eyes, Hayley stared at him. "I asked you first," she replied, hefting Hope on her hip.

"Who's Klaus, Mommy?" Hope asked, looking from Hayley to Elijah.

"Someone I met about three years ago, honey. Just once. At a college party and then I never saw him again. Very mutual with the parting but I thought I would look him up and see how he was doing. But obviously he's not here. So we'll be going," Hayley said firmly. She was about to walk away when the stranger placed his hand on her shoulder.

"Please, wait," the man said as Hayley turned around, frowning at his hand which he removed. "It's hot out here. May I ask you in for a drink to cool off with, perhaps something for your daughter?"

Hesitating, Hayley shifted from one foot to the other. It was far too hot out here but she was still not sure she wanted to be in the house with this man. After a moment she sighed, giving up. "Sure. Why not?"

Smiling, the man ushered her forward. When she refused to walk in front of him, he nodded with another one of those unnerving smiles. Entering into a dining room, he pulled out a chair for Hope. "Your seat, Madame," he said, bowing as Hope climbed onto the seat and shot her mother a wide grin.

"What do you say?" Hayley asked her daughter, who blinked and then smiled at the man.

"Thank you," the child said.

"You're quite welcome," the man said. "Now, what can I get you both?"

"Lemonade, thank you," Hayley told him. When he left, she began to look around the room thinking that maybe there would be some sign of whether or not Klaus lived here. Not that she knew a damned thing about him. When she didn't find anything, she sat down at the head of the table and pulled her hair up. It was full of sweat and she sighed. 'Of course I look like this and there is this nice-looking man who is being kind to me. Focus, Hayley. Not the time.' Seeing the man returning, she decided to catch him off guard as he placed a glass of lemonade in front of Hope. "How do you know Klaus?" she asked.

Setting Hayley's glass in front of her, the man smiled as he sat down across from Hope but was looking Hayley directly in the eye. "Because I am Elijah Mikaelson. Klaus' older brother."

"Oh," Hayley said, picking up her glass, she brought it to her mouth quickly. Now, that she had not been expecting.

**Okay, so feel free to review, favorite, follow or continue reading the story. I try to answer all new reviews in the following chapter or through pm. If I am unable to answer a review at the end of the next then I will try to at the end of the following. **

**Peace,**

**Jessica**


	2. Chapter 2

**Hello, my lovely readers. I will be trying to send out an update each week and on premiere week of TO so stay tuned. I hope that you enjoy the banter and Klaus' fiancée will be revealed. Big shocker for my faithful readers. Ha ha, not so much. On with the show…**

Chapter 2: Guardian Angel?

Somehow Hayley lost track of the time as she sat talking to Elijah Mikaelson. One thing that the Mikaelson family did not seem to lack was good-looking, charming men. That was not something that Hayley had been expecting and she kept trying to force herself to ask Elijah for some manner in which she could contact Klaus directly so that she ask him for the smallest of loans. It would be just the tiniest of sums. By the looks of it he could afford it and much, much more…

However, that was not the point. She was not here to extort money from her child's father. She did not even want to see him again. Yeah, they had fun together. One night. No strings. Just a hookup. It was not supposed to have resulted in a life changing occurrence for Hayley. She had been happy with her life as a freshman at a community college studying the art of baking. Then one night she went to a party where she met Klaus. He was cute and talked about his art collection back in his dorm room. They went back there to take a peek at his work. She wasn't that into his art but she was also drunk. Waking up the next morning with a splitting headache she had left while he was still asleep. One month later, her head was hanging over a toilet with a pregnancy test in her hand.

"And that is why my brother, Kol, is not allowed to enter Peru," Elijah was saying and Hayley began to laugh even harder.

Covering her mouth because she did not want to wake her sleeping daughter who was lying on a couch in the Great room of the Mikaelson home, Hayley could not help but grin. "He sounds crazy," Hayley told Elijah who nodded and unsuccessfully prevented himself from chuckling louder. "Tell me, Elijah, are all the Mikaelsons a little crazy or just the younger ones?"

Elijah leaned toward her with a smile of his own. "I'm sure that if you spend any time with me you'll find me either the most sane or the least. I've been told I'm both." Sitting back in his seat, Elijah picked up his empty glass. "Well, it would appear that our glasses are once again lacking? Would you like me to refill yours or simply place it in the sink?"

Thinking for a split second, Hayley glanced at her daughter. It was getting late and if she was to ask Elijah how to contact Klaus and get of here before night fall now would be it. "Actually, I think I'll help you." Getting to her feet, Hayley walked beside Elijah in comfortable silence. When they entered the kitchen Hayley could only stare in awe at the size of it. It was almost as large as her entire apartment. It just did not seem fair the turn life gave people sometimes. Shrugging off the moment of jealousy, Hayley focused on Elijah as he turned to take her glass.

Just as she opened her mouth to speak Elijah spoke first. "How much do you need, Hayley?" he inquired lightly but Hayley felt her body tighten up at his words. She should have known better. Folding her arms over her chest, Hayley did not speak until Elijah turned to look at her, leaning back against the sink.

"What makes you think that I came here because I need money?" Hayley snapped, glaring at Elijah.

Elijah's lips turned upward and for a moment she saw a hint of what she thought was a smirk she had seen on Klaus' face the night she met him. The expression only made her angrier. "You mentioned that you have not had contact with my brother for three years. And you have not been in any hurry to leave. Now, either I can deduce that I am a wonderful host or that you have nothing else to do on a Tuesday afternoon. If I am wrong than I do apologize?"

Feeling on the edge of breaking down, Hayley just shook her head. "You are wrong. And I was wrong for coming here. I'm sorry that I interrupted whatever you would be doing during your usual Tuesday afternoon." Marching out of the kitchen, Hayley re-entered the Great room and picked up her sleeping child. Carrying her to the front door, Hayley reached for the handle when Elijah stepped in front of her. "Get out of my way, Elijah," Hayley said as quietly as possible but with enough venom that most people would back down.

Of course Elijah Mikaelson was not most people. "I will call you a cab and give you money to return to wherever it is that you live." He told her, "However, there is one thing that I would like in return," he said and Hayley glared up at him in silent fury. "I would like your address."

"What?" Hayley could not believe her ears.

"You have mine. I do believe that it is only fair that I have yours," Elijah told her with that alarming calmness of his.

"Yes, I do. I was here to find your brother. Not you. I do not owe you anything," Hayley snapped. "Now, are you going to allow me to leave? Or do I have to give you a reason to let me out."

Elijah's expression did not change nor did he move a muscle. "I doubt that you would try to injure me considering you have your child in your arms, Hayley. Now, I understand that your instincts are telling you to flee this place but you must also understand that since Klaus is my brother that I have a right to act in his interests while he is gone as he would do for me. Please, allow me to pay for the cab. If nothing else."

"Fine," Hayley said. "You can give me the money after you open the door." Watching Elijah unlock and open the front door wordlessly, Hayley walked past him carefully. Stepping out of the house and onto the front porch she felt as if she had been exiled. This was not the feeling she expected as she walked over to a chair and set her sleeping child down. Turning to face Elijah, Hayley folded her arms over her chest and waited as he pulled out his wallet and removed three crisp one hundred dollar bills. Hayley felt her jaw loosening and resisted the urge to gape at the man as he took her right hand in his left and placed the money in her palm before closing it around the bills. "Elijah. No. I can't take this."

Hayley tried to open her hand to give Elijah back the money but he kept her palm closed. "It is yours. Do with it what you wish. You may call it a gift for Hope if you so choose," Elijah said slowly, searching Hayley's eyes for any sign of resistance. She felt the urge to cry again. No, this money would not pay the rent or take care of many of their expenses but it would buy them a week.

"Thank you," Hayley said. Her voice came out hoarsely and she wanted to think that Elijah did not notice.

"Would you like me to call the cab for you?" Elijah asked quietly. Hayley shook her head before pulling out her cell and dialing the number. "If you need anything more before you leave all you have to do is knock," he murmured, walking back into the house and shutting the door.

Hayley sighed and told the dispatcher what the address was. Sitting down on a chair beside her daughter, she began to rock. Why had Elijah given her this money? She should knock on the door and give it back to him. When a man handed over that much cash there was no way that there was not something that he wanted in return. Getting up. Hayley went to place her fist against the door once more when she heard her daughter. "Mommy?"

Stepping away from the door, Hayley walked over to the chair. "Hey there, ready to go home?" Hope nodded and then yawned.

"Where's the man?" Hope asked Hayley who felt confused.

"Inside, honey," Hayley explained.

"Is he my daddy?" Hope began to rub her eyes as she spoke.

Hayley's eyes widened and she began to laugh. "What would make you think that?"

"You said we were going to see someone special so I thought we were going to go see daddy." Hope said, her lips turned downward in an expression of disappointment that Hayley was familiar with because she had seen it many times reflected back at her from her mirror. "Are you sure?"

"Yes, Hope. I'm sure that Elijah is not your father," Hayley told her daughter as gently as she could. As she began to ponder something that she could tell the child the cab pulled up. Taking Hope's hand, she walked over to the cab and pulled the door open. After taking a seat, she looked out the window to find that Elijah had come out onto the porch. He nodded at Hayley as a young blonde woman climbed the steps of the porch. The young woman stood next to Elijah and then gave Hayley a curious look as she crossed her arms.

Turning away from Elijah and the mystery woman, Hayley forced her desire to find out who the woman was away and sat back. When the cab arrived at the apartment building, Hayley gathered her daughter up and carried her upstairs. Apparently today was just a little too much excitement for the little one to take. Laying Hope in her bed, Hayley pulled the covers up to her chin and kissed her on the forehead before walking into the living room.

Turning her laptop on Hayley typed in the name Elijah Mikaelson into Google and came up with several men with that name. However, there was only one Elijah Mikaelson that she was interested in finding. She was not even sure why she was trying to find information on the older brother of her daughter's father. It was Klaus that she should be trying to find. He was the one who might have some interest in finding out that he had a child and that interest might lead to his wanting to provide for said child…

Growling, Hayley sank back in her seat. When did she become this person who would come to a man that she hardly knew with the intention of seeking money? She kept trying to tell herself that it was not that much; that it was just enough to get them on their feet. That's all she wanted. Just enough to get them through the next couple of months. After that they would be fine because Hayley did not want an ongoing relationship between herself and her one time lover. It had been a stupid mistake that resulted in a wonderfully unexpected relationship with the one person she loved more than anyone on earth, Hope.

Yes, Hayley decided that she was simply looking up Elijah because it might lead her to Klaus. And if Klaus was not completely heartless he would help them. After she was back on her feet, Hayley would begin to repay him every last dollar. There was nothing that she hated more than to be in someone else's debt. She would find a job or two at one of the many other bakeries in New Orleans and she would send a payment to Klaus every month. Yes, that would work.

Shaking her head, Hayley refocused on the task at hand and stared intently at the link to an Elijah Mikaelson who ran a small business in New Orleans. Her eyebrow rose at the possibilities because the name of the business sounded a little too generic to Hayley. _Paper_ _and_ _Things_ was the name of this Elijah Mikaelson's business. That did not really sound like the type of place that the Elijah Mikaelson that she had met would run. "So, Mr. Miklaelson, what are you hiding?"

Deciding to postpone further searches into the mystery that is Elijah Mikaelson, Hayley chose to type in Klaus Mikaelson. There were fewer of those than the Elijah's but Hayley still found herself having a problem finding him. Clicking the last link that looked like the least promising she could only blink and feel her stomach sink.

'It could be worse. He could be dead,' Hayley thought to herself as she looked at the smiling picture of a slightly older version of Klaus. He had cut his hair shorter. Gone were the curls cropped into a shorter look but then there was the unmistakable smirk. His arms were curled around a young woman with long, curly blonde hair. She was grinning giddily at the camera her wide, blue eyes glowing with glee. The article that accompanied the picture was an engagement announcement.

Bill and Elizabeth Forbes are proud to announce the engagement of their only child, Miss Caroline Forbes, to Mr. Niklaus Mikaelson. The couple met in Italy where Niklaus had been studying art history and Caroline was vacationing with friends. Caroline is our own former Miss Mystic Falls and has finished a degree in acting. The two intend on holding their wedding in New Orleans where Mr. Mikaelson currently resides. However, the engagement party will be held this Thursday at the Mystic Grill a and everyone is invited. The couple ask that anyone who cannot attend will RSVP.

Hayley blew out a long breath. Well, in her version of how this scenario played out Klaus was not getting married to some small town socialite. This was just great. "Damn," Hayley whispered. She really needed to stop cursing. One day Hope would start doing it too. What was she supposed to do now?

Sighing, Hayley was about to shut down the computer when she had another thought. Could it be possible that the happy couple had yet to pick someone to cater their wedding? Maybe she could pull Klaus aside and talk to him. It might be crazy but it also might work. Just as long as she could avoid the bride. Who knew if she was the type of woman who would want to know everything that her fiancée was up to. And Hayley certainly did not want to be in the middle of that kind of drama.

Smiling to herself, Hayley began to look through the list of wedding caterers in New Orleans. Clicking on the jobs' links she found three possibilities. If that didn't work she could always set up her own on the fly. It wouldn't be the first time she had to act this quickly. That was how she had learned to survive. Feeling satisfied with her work, Hayley turned the computer off and went to bed. As she felt herself falling asleep a thought flashed through her mind that could kill her plan in an instant.

The pesky older brother. Elijah Mikaelson, would definitely show up at the engagement party and the wedding. He might even be part of the wedding preparations for all Hayley knew. Rolling onto her back, Hayley stared at the ceiling. It didn't matter. She would find a way to make this work. She had to. It was the last chance she had. She would just have to avoid Elijah at all costs. That couldn't be too difficult, right?

**In the next chapter you can look forward to more Haylijah, more of Hayley's creepy landlord, a cameo appearance from Josh and more Hope. **

**Thank you to everyone who has faved, followed, is reading and/or reviewed this fic or me as an author.**

**Answers to review questions: **

**Tld9969: Thank you. Your review had me breathing a sigh of relief because I was like "OMG, people are going to hate this. Argh!" But you didn't. So, yay! **

**KlarolinexDelenaxx: Thank you. Your appreciation of the work makes it easier to write. **

**Guest: While I appreciate creative criticism, this review does not qualify. **

**Bjames238: Thank you. I had no idea how to write Hope since she's this little character who has yet to speak which also makes it fun to write about her since she's a blank slate to draw our own versions of. I adore Josh and Davina and wish I could put them in more of my fics which I probably will as I finish up my TVD centered fics and begin to write more for TO. I hope that you enjoyed the first Haylijah chapter. Hayley will be meeting more Mikaelsons as we progress. **

**Lilla: I hope you enjoyed the update and the beginning of this version of Haylijah. **

**Lyzz Cullen: Thank you. I hope you enjoyed the new chapter. **

**RavenNightwing19: Thank you. I hope you enjoyed the new chapter. **

**Yeahhuh: Thank you. I happy that you're enjoying Hope. She's a lot of fun to write about since we have no idea what she'll be like on TO. **

**Jeremy Shane: Thank you. **

**Peace,**

**Jessica**


	3. Chapter 3

**Hello, my lovely readers. In this chapter there will be Hayley, Elijah and Hope with some Josh in there somewhere. On with the show…**

Chapter 3: You Just Can't Stay Away, Can You?

Waking up slowly Hayley heard the sound of something pounding. 'Was that the freakin' neighbors?' Snarling, Hayley sat up in a daze and then she realized that the direction of the sound was coming from her left not from above her. Pushing herself to her feet, she rubbed her eyes and grabbed her robe, wrapping it around her body tightly. Coming to stand in front of the door, she peered out the peep hole.

Groaning internally, Hayley stared at her landlord's angry expression and then winced when he began to bang on the door again. "Who's that?" Hope asked from the doorway of her room.

"Nobody, honey. Go back to bed," Hayley called, watching her daughter shut her door, she flipped the lock and pulled the door open just wide enough to edge her body into the opening. "Hello, Mr. Crouger. I know that I'm a little late on the rent. But I'm working on it. I swear." Forcing a smile, Hayley felt like vomiting from the anxiety that was making her nerves fray.

"That's what you said last month. An' the month before that, Hayley. An' this month you're two weeks behind. Did ya happen to see the notice on your door yesterday or did ya just ignore it? 'Cause, honey, I don't think that you're that stupid." Crouger snapped, leaning close enough to Hayley that she had to resist the instinct to slam the door in his face.

"I want my money, sweetheart. And I want it now. I don't care what you have to do to get it. Or you're out on your ass on Friday night. And don't think that I'm kidding," Crouger told Hayley, licking his lips. "Unless you can think of some other kind of arrangement."

Hayley was about to kick her landlord where it was going to give him the most pain when she heard the sound of someone approaching. 'Thank you, faulty boards that creak in this God forsaken hell hole,' Hayley thought. It was the only thing that was preventing her from being charged with assault after she kicked the crap out of Crouger.

"Hello, Hayley. How are you this morning?" Elijah Mikaelson called from three feet away. Hayley could only blink. This could not be real. How had he found her? Did he follow the cab yesterday? Or did he have someone track her for him? Maybe the blonde followed her? "Good morning," Elijah said cheerfully to Hayley's horrible excuse for a landlord. "I'm Elijah Mikaelson, and you would be?" He extended a hand to Mr. Crouger who straightened up to all of five feet seven.

"Hey, buddy, I'm Mr. Crouger. I run this building. Can't say that I've seen ya 'round here before but ya look familiar," Crouger stated, examining Elijah in the dim light.

'If he bothered to pay for new lights then maybe he could see something,' Hayley thought darkly. Now, how was she going to get rid of both of her unwelcome visitors since she had a lot to do today?

"Oh, I own a small business in the Quarter. We do advertise. But my face does not appear in them and I rarely meet the clients who stop by to make purchases unless it's something very specific. However, I have been told that I have one of those faces," Elijah said with his calm tone that soothed Hayley's nerves. Crouger was about to reply when Elijah spoke again. "May I ask what it is that you need from Ms. Marshall?" he checked his wrist watch. "At six in the morning."

Crouger seemed to not be able to think as he stared at Elijah whose hands were folded in front of him. Nothing about Elijah screamed that he was trying to intimidate Crouger. His posture was relaxed. His suit did not say "I've come to thrash you within an inch of your life." But something about the glint in his eyes looked like he was challenging the landlord. "I… I… She… She hasn't… She hasn't made the rent yet." Crouger finally managed to say. He seemed almost apologetic as his eyes moved to the side.

"Oh," was all that Elijah said. He did not even bother to look at Hayley before he pulled out his wallet. "Would you be willing to take cash? I seem to have forgotten my checkbook." Elijah inquired as he began to flip through the bills inside, making Crouger's eyes widen with hunger at the cash that Elijah was flashing. "How much does she owe you?"

"Four hundred at the beginning of the month. But she's behind by two weeks so she owes eight," Crouger said slowly. He was still looking at the money in awe.

Lifting his eyebrows, Elijah stared at Crouger with a hard look. "I'm sorry. You want her to pay twice as much for being two weeks late on the rent? Do you not think that that is a bit out of line?"

"Look, buddy, I don't make the rules. I've got a boss. You'd have to talk to him. I just come to collect," Crouger said. He was becoming defensive and Hayley had to place her hand over her mouth to not show her smile. At that moment Hope decided to appear, pulling the door open wider, she stood next to Hayley.

"Hi, Elijah," Hope called cheerfully to Elijah and then she focused on her mother. "Mommy, I'm hungry," she said, yanking on the belt to Hayley's robe. Grabbing the belt so that it would not unravel and give the two men an early morning show, Hayley knotted it quickly. Looking up, she noticed that the Elijah and Crouger only had eyes for each other.

"Shall we leave these two ladies to their morning meal while we conduct our business elsewhere," Elijah inquired, waving in the direction of the staircase. Crouger gave Hayley a long look and then headed down the hallway. "Hayley, always a pleasure seeing you." Elijah murmured before moving away from her door. She didn't even have time to formulate a response to his actions.

Turning and walking back inside the apartment, Hayley locked the door and then headed toward the kitchen. It consisted of two feet one way and one feet the other. The oven was not big enough to fit more than a fourth of a turkey for Thanksgiving and the refrigerator was ok when it actually worked. Give it a swift kick if it didn't. This morning they were lucky because the fridge decided to work well enough that the milk had not spoiled overnight.

"What would you like for breakfast this morning, my little princess?" Hayley asked.

"Pancakes," Hope said with a big grin.

"Pancakes, pancakes and more pancakes. My, my one day I'm going to say oh, where is my little girl and this little pancake is going to come into the kitchen and ask me to make her pancakes for breakfast." Hayley informed her daughter as she opened the cabinets trying to find the ingredients for her child's favorite breakfast item. She was looking for baking powder when there was a light knock on the door.

Twisting her head in the direction of the door, Hayley hoped that the person on the other side was not her landlord. Maybe Elijah had changed his mind and had decided that helping her was not worth his time and money. It wouldn't surprise her. And she could not think of anyone else who would be knocking at this hour unless Davina or Josh had an emergency.

Moving to answer the door, she clenched her teeth when Hope went running. "Hope. No," Hayley called out with her hand raised as if that would stop the impulsive child from pulling the door open. Hope stood on her tiptoes and just barely managed to pop the lock. But sure enough she did. Striding more quickly as Hope opened the door, Hayley felt puzzled to see Elijah standing at the door.

"Hello, again," Elijah greeted Hope who giggled.

"Pick me up," Hope said, holding out her arms. "I want to be ten feet tall, too."

Elijah grinned but looked to Hayley for approval before making any movements toward the child. "I don't know, dear. We will have to see what your mother thinks."

"Its fine," Hayley told him but her stomach tightened. She wasn't sure what she thought about allowing this stranger to bond with her daughter. He was her uncle but that did not mean anything. Watching Elijah pick up Hope and hold her high in the air, a little too close to the ceiling made Hayley open her mouth to protest.

Hope placed her hand on the ceiling and laughed. "Cool," the child whispered as Elijah moved her to rest on his hip. "Why are you all dressed up?" Hope asked, taking ahold of Elijah's tie. "Are you going to a funeral?"

Looking confused, Elijah stared at Hayley. "I'm sorry. Why would I be going to a funeral?"

"Because when we dress up it's because we're going to a funeral," Hope announced proudly.

Nodding as if he understood completely, Elijah asked another question. "And do you attend funerals often?"

Hayley answered quickly. "No, we don't." What was wrong with this guy?

Why was he always asking questions that sounded like mini accusations? What did he think, that she was one of those people who attended funerals trying to con people out of their money? Then it dawned on her that that was exactly what he thought. He thought that she was some kind of con artist. Oh, that was rich. He with the fake named business and the wallet full of cash and the ability to scare people with a look. Sure, she was the one who was a con artist. But that's okay. She would play along.

"Actually, Elijah, we went to the funeral of a friend of mine not that long ago," Hayley replied lightly. "It's really too bad they didn't name me in the will. I really felt cheated. The least they could have done was left enough so that I could make up for the money I spent on our dresses. I guess I just have a problem with not making friends with money." Staring at Elijah for longer than necessary, she waited to see if he would give any sign that he understood what she was trying to tell him.

Elijah smiled, his gaze flicking to the floor for a moment and then back up to her. "Would you like to go out to breakfast this morning?" He directed the question at Hope rather than Hayley.

"Mommy took me to McD's yesterday," Hope told him still playing with his tie.

"How would you like to go to another restaurant instead and then your mother and I will take you to the park?" Elijah inquired with one of those smiles that Hayley figured that he used on people when he thought he was being charming. She could not believe that he was asking her daughter what she wanted to do for the day. She was three. Of course she wanted to go to the park. She wanted to go to the park at midnight and every day of the week. Unfortunately, Hayley had plans. Plans that did not involve going to breakfast with Elijah and then to the park. What did he think, he had bought her for the day or what?

"I'm really sorry, Elijah, but Hope needs to go to the babysitter because I have plans," Hayley announced as forcefully as possible.

Hope turned to look at her mother with wide, tear filled eyes. "But, Mommy. I want to go to the park and Elijah is taking us to breakfast. I want to go. Please, Mommy."

"Baby, I would love to go but I have things that I have to do today," Hayley told her daughter whose lower lip began to tremble.

"But, Mommy. I want to go. I want to go," Hope whined, her voice getting higher and higher. Hayley hated this. Why couldn't she just go with Elijah? Oh, yeah, because she was supposed to be finding a way to get to some small town called Mystic Falls so that she could figure what the situation with Klaus and this Caroline girl was.

"Maybe we could go another time," Elijah said, setting Hope down who was now officially crying. She stomped over to her room and slammed the door shut with a loud bang. "She takes after her father in temperament, I see."

"What?" Hayley said, not really listening to Elijah. She was too busy listening to the sounds of her child's sobs through the closed door.

"I was wondering if you wanted to take a raincheck," Elijah told Hayley, coming to stand in front of her, gaining her full attention. "Sometime when you're not… so busy with whatever it is that you need to do that is so very pressing."

Tilting her face to look up at Elijah, Hayley gave him a wide smile, "Yeah, I'll call you and we can choose a date. Oh, wait, I forgot I don't have your number. Then again you didn't have my address, and still, here you are in my apartment. Why don't you tell me how exactly that happened?"

Elijah rocked back on his heels. "You see, Hayley, when you have money then people want to be your friend. And some of those people are willing to do things for you like find out information about people. And don't worry about calling me. I'm sure we'll see each other again. Soon. Have a good day,"Walking across the room, Elijah unlocked the door and then stopped. "And don't forget to lock the door. You never can tell who might come to it."

Striding across the floor, Hayley slid the lock into place. She was beginning to believe that Elijah was going to become a problem. What was wrong with him? One minute he's acting like he thinks she's trying to con his family, the next he's paying for things and then he's trying to take me out to breakfast. What did he want?

Leaning against the door, Hayley decided to deal with something she could handle. Walking over to the door to her daughter's room, she tapped on the door. "Hope, can I come in?"

There was a muffled response and then Hayley walked inside to find Hope curled up with her fuzzy rabbit pressed to her chest. "Go away," she moaned.

"Hope," Hayley began when her child sat up and glared at her.

"You made him go away. And he was being nice to us. And I like him. And he was going get us breakfast and take us to the park. And I want him to be…" Hope stopped as a gulping sob choked her off and she threw herself back down on the bed.

"You want him to be what?" Hayley asked, coming to sit down on the bed. She began to rub the child's back until she calmed down.

"My daddy," Hope said, sitting up and wiping the tears away. "I want him to be my daddy. I don't care who my real daddy is. I want Elijah to be my daddy because he's nice and he takes care of us."

"Oh, honey. I can take of us," Hayley said, reaching out to pull the girl into her lap but Hope moved out of her reach.

"No, you can't. You're always trying to. But you can't," Hope replied with her lower lip sticking out.

"Hope, would you like to go see Josh and Davina? They can take you to the park and to McD's?" Hayley questioned the child who looked thoughtful and Hayley held her breath.

"Okay," Hope said, pushing herself off the bed, she headed toward the door. Hayley thanked whatever was out there for the short attention span of small children. Of course Hope would remember the argument and she would have to think of something to handle the problem. Right now she needed to hand her child off to the closest source of child care and then figure out how to get to Virginia in less than two days with a limited amount of money.

Walking over to Davina's and Josh's door, Hayley knocked and waited for a response. Josh came to the door after two minutes. He yawned as he opened it. "Hey, what's up?" He asked cheerfully, looking from Hayley who had a forced smile on her face to Hope whose nose was still pink and her eyes were slightly swollen.

"I know that it's late notice but could you take Hope till about noon?" Hayley asked, feeling guilty.

"Sure. I've got a class at nine but D should be home by then so it shouldn't be a problem," Josh told Hayley.

Feeling relieved, Hayley handed her daughter to Josh and then remembered something as he started to shut the door. "Oh, wait," opening her purse, she pulled out one of the hundred dollar bills and handed it to him. "This is for you and Davina."

"Thanks but you can pay us whenever," Josh told her, trying to hand the money back as Hayley backed away.

"I've got to go," Hayley called, hurrying back into her apartment, she ignored anything else Josh could say before she took the money back. It would be fine. Soon she would be back on her feet and everything would be just fine as soon as she found Klaus that is.

**Thank you for reading, faving, following and for reviewing: **

**Jeremy** **Shane: Thank you. **

**Sammiewolf: Thank you for reviewing this story for the first time. **

**Peace,**

**Jessica**


	4. Chapter 4

**Hello, my lovely readers. Hayley goes to Mystic Falls in this chapter and meets Rebekah. Hijinks ensue with one of my favorite friendmances, Haybekah. On with the show…**

Chapter 4: The Engagement Party

"You have got to be kidding me," Hayley whispered to herself as she walked into a bar. A bar with a lot of people in their fanciest clothes. Thankfully they weren't dressed for the opera or something. For the most part they looked like they were dressed for a nice cocktail party. Hell, maybe that is what this was. Shaking her head with a smirk, Hayley walked around the fringes of the room, trying to keep a low profile. She was wearing her funeral dress but it did not seem to matter. No one was paying her much attention.

"God, this boring," a young woman said. Turning on her heel, the woman turned to come face to face with Hayley. "Who the bloody hell are you?" the woman asked and Hayley thought that she recognized her but could not place her immediately. After a moment it dawned on her that this was the woman who had come to see Elijah. Or maybe she lived with Elijah.

The blonde was still staring at her pointedly when Hayley realized that she had not replied. "I'm… ummm… a friend of…"

"Caroline's?" the blonde asked, "because you do not look like the type that the Queen of Mystic Falls would befriend."

"Excuse me?" Hayley replied. She was not sure whether she or the bride to be should be more offended.

"Let me guess. You just came to town and someone driving along said 'Hey there, little lady, there's free food and drink in that bar over there. Go on and say hello to our Queen Caroline," the blonde said sarcastically. "Because that is how I received my directions to this pitiful little hole in the wall of a town. Dear God, what is that girl wearing?" The blonde wrinkled her nose in disapproval. "I mean, really? That is more 2009 than 2014. Anyway, where was I? Oh, yes, that is how I received my directions. Can you imagine? The sister of the groom-to-be has to be given instructions by some random man in a truck. It was preposterous."

"Yeah, that's about how it happened for me, too. I'm Hayley," Hayley told the blonde with a relieved smile. If she was the sister of the groom then that meant she was Elijah's sister as well and a possible way to meet Klaus without any more pretense.

"Rebekah Mikaelson. Charmed, I'm sure," Rebekah replied with a tight smile. She barely looked at Hayley as she searched the crowd for someone. "My date is around here somewhere, probably kissing up to Nik. That's my brother in case you didn't know the name of the groom."

Continuing to glare at the other guests, Rebekah spotted three people across the room. Hayley felt her heartbeat pick up speed as she spotted the blonde from the photo. She was hugging and kissing a young woman with long, brown curls who was standing beside a man with raven hair. "That would be the Queen herself with part of her court, Elena and Damon Salvatore. They apparently got married right out of high school. Or rather, Elena was right out of high school. Damon was a junior in college. Heard it was a real scandal. Oh, and the man over there who is brooding would be part of the outer part of the court, Damon's brother, Stefan. He used to date Elena. Over there is Bonnie Bennett. She's being chatted up by my brother, Kol. It's so funny because she's with that tall fellow over there, Jeremy, brother of Elena. He's talking to Tyler Lockwood who used to date Caroline and so did the other man with them, Matt Donavon. Oh, and there is my errant date, Marcel Gerard, who is, of course, with Nik and Lijah. Probably plotting world domination."

Hearing Elijah's name, Hayley nearly jumped when she looked over in the direction that Rebekah was focused on. Of course Elijah would be there. He was, after all, the brother of the groom. But if he saw Hayley he would have something to say and Hayley did not trust him to not say it in front of everyone in the room. "I would go speak with Marcel but he seems to be more interested in spending quality time with Nik before Caroline runs off with him and we never see him again."

"Oh," this was the most intelligent thing that Hayley could think to say because she had no idea what to say exactly.

"Let's ditch this place. It's rather dull. Wouldn't you say?" Rebekah was already headed toward the door before Hayley could reply. "Coming?" she called. Hayley did not want Rebekah to raise her voice and call attention to them more than she already had.

Forcing her feet to move toward Rebekah, she smiled widely. "Sure. Let's ditch this place. I've had more fun knitting with my grandmother." In truth Hayley had never met her grandmother but Rebekah did not need to know that. Maybe she could use this as an opportunity to learn more about the family. Or she could just come clean and tell Rebekah everything and Rebekah could advise her where to go from there. Probably not.

Walking to the front door, Hayley noticed the parking lot was full. She was happy that she had walked to the Grill rather than driven because there was no way that she would be able to find her car. "Where is my car?" Rebekah yelled, looking from one side of the parking lot to the other. Her eyes narrowed as she moved between the vehicles. "Bloody hell," she groaned. "I knew I should not have allowed Marcel to drive. Damn him."

Hayley let out a laugh. She didn't mean to but she couldn't help it. Rebekah was so drunk Hayley was shocked that she knew her own name as she tottered around on her five inch heels. "Are you sure that it wasn't parked closer to the door?"

"No, we were late thanks to Nik not bloody well giving us the right directions. He's a real arse when he sets his mind to it. Sometimes it can be a tie between him and Kol over who can be the bigger arse." Rebekah was saying as she began to examine license plates and she blinked as if she was in the middle of a dense fog. "Wanker," she snarled. "I bet Nik took the keys from Marcel and drove it somewhere. That would be just like him. But the joke is on him because his bride gave me his keys and I know where his car is."

Grinning genuinely for the first time since Hayley had met her, Rebekah strode over to a large, black SUV. "This would be the Dodgy Wanker mobile," she said. Jamming the key into the driver's door, Rebekah nearly fell down trying to get into the car. Hayley had to help her in and then thought better of it.

"Hey, Rebekah. I know that we just met but I think you're wasted, so if you don't mind letting me drive…" Hayley's words trailed off as Rebekah's fingers curled over the keys as her lower lip came out and Hayley was reminded of Hope. At that moment Hayley felt her heart melt as she looked at the snobbish, young woman who might have been nineteen at the most.

"'Kay," Rebekah said, taking her fist, she placed it over Hayley's hand dropping the jangly objects into the other woman's hand. "Just don't crash it. Nik will kill me. Quite literally." Climbing into the back, she laid on her back across the seat with her arm over her eyes. "I think that we should go to the Salvatore Boarding House. That is where everyone who is part of the wedding party is staying and I have heard that Damon has quite the liquor cabinet."

Hayley smiled. When was the last time she had allowed herself to drink more than half a glass of champagne? It must have been before she had Hope. Well, this seemed like a good occasion to break that rule. Come to think of it the last time she was drunk she had been in the company of a Mikaelson and on the bright side she did not have to worry about becoming pregnant this time around. "Why not? Sounds like a party."

"Yes. A party. I want to trash Damon's room," Rebekah said as she stared at the hood of the car.

"Why?" Hayley asked, she didn't care but she just wanted to make the time go faster.

"Because I made the mistake of sleeping with the jackass once before he married Princess Elena. This was shortly after Nik met "the love of his life." He felt the need to introduce all of us to all of her little friends. The day after I slept with Damon he threw me out like I was some kind of tramp who came on to him. Everyone knows that before he married Elena he was a whore. So, was Nik. Now, he's "reformed" I just can't wait to see how long it takes before he cheats on Caroline like Mother cheated on Father. You know Nik had a new girl in college… what was it… every night, I think. Maybe more often. He didn't have a little black book, he had a phone book. His list was longer than the bloody yellow pages for God's sake." Rebekah was still talking when Hayley tuned her out.

'Gee, I feel really special now,' Hayley thought. 'I wonder how many other women he fathered children with. Good luck to you, Caroline. You're going to be a stepmom to a whole school full of kids if you go ahead with this wedding.' Rolling her eyes, it occurred to Hayley that she should ask Rebekah for directions but Rebekah was on to Elijah and Hayley could not help but listen.

"Then there is poor dear, sweet Elijah. He is so patient with all of us and loves wholeheartedly but he has atrocious taste in women. First there was Elena's twin, Katherine, thank goodness she did everyone a favor and moved to Bulgaria. That girl was trouble with a capital T. Horrid girl. Far meaner than ever I was. She was a serial dater with no intention of settling down with anyone. Ever. Then there was Celeste. She was sweet but then they were in an accident. She had a bump to the head and went a little, well, how to be delicate… she went quite mad. Believed that Nik and I were "bad" for Lijah and decided that she needed to try to kill us. Thankfully, we're here to tell the tale." Rebekah finished and sat up. "You're going the wrong way. Make a left turn and go straight. "Where was I? Oh, Kol. Stay away from Kol. He is a horrid, little man, even if he is my brother."

Hayley tried to process the new information about Elijah. It might come in handy one day. How, she had no idea. "Over there," Rebekah suddenly yelled, causing Hayley to swerve. However, it wasn't enough to cause an accident and she blew out the breath she did not know that she had been holding. "It's that one," Rebekah called. Sitting up, she opened the door and practically fell out of the truck.

"Are you okay?" Hayley asked as she hopped out of the car and came around the side to make sure that Rebekah was still in one piece. Rebekah began to giggle as they walked toward the Boarding House. Hayley looked apprehensively at the house. Sure, it was large but she wondered if it could actually house all of the guests of the Mikaelson-Forbes party.

"I'm wonderful. Off we go." Rebekah said. She staggered up the walk, only stumbling once. The Mikaelson sister pulled out a key from under the doormat and smiled triumphantly. "The key to the dungeon. Ahem, I do apologize, the kingdom. After you, Lady Hayley," Rebekah said far too loudly to the empty air as she flung the door open and swept her arm out to usher Hayley into the house.

"Thank you, Lady Rebekah," Hayley replied with a curtsey. It was nice to get away from her real life but she was beginning to miss her daughter and knew that one half glass of champagne was in her future if she wanted to get home.

"Let me go get our drinks and then off to Damon's boudoir. He has a wonderful bathtub. In case you would like to know how the other half lives. That is how they put it, right? Sorry. I've only been in the States for about two years. Nik made me move here after our parents died." Rebekah said absently as she walked through the house.

"Your parents are dead?" Hayley frowned and Rebekah shrugged.

"Another accident. House burned down with them inside. I happened to be at school at the time," Rebekah told Hayley who gasped in shock. "It's not as horrible as you might think." Rebekah told Hayley finally making eye contact. "Our parents. They were not kind people. They were not abusive… but they were distant and we simply were never close. Not like some families are. When they died Kol and I came to live with Elijah and Nik and then just Lijah after Nik moved to Italy and then he met Caroline."

"But you're close with your brothers?" Hayley could not help but ask. After all, the brothers were Hope's family, too.

"Yes, we are quite close. We would die for each other. Literally." Rebekah nodded as she spoke and rummaged through the bottles before selecting a long necked bottle of red wine. "I always thought that Elijah would be a wonderful father. He practically raised me and Kol when we were young. Nik… I'm not sure about but we shall see, shan't we? But Lijah. Yes, he would be a magnificent father if only he were to meet the right girl. Perhaps I shall introduce you two." Looking thoughtful, Rebekah walked out of the room and headed toward the staircase.

"Me?" Hayley choked out a nervous laugh. "Why would you want Elijah to meet me?"

Rebekah stopped halfway up the stairs with her hand on her hip. She was looking down her nose with that smile that seemed to be a Mikaelson trait stretched across her mouth. "You're not a bitch like the last two. You're not boring. And I can stand to be around you for more than five minutes. All of those seem like good enough traits to me."

Hayley followed Rebekah the rest of the way up the stairs and watched as Rebekah swayed at the top of the stairs. "Maybe you should go to bed," Hayley said gently as Rebekah rolled her eyes. "Definitely made for Lijah," Rebekah murmured as she allowed Hayley to move her down the hall. "My room is right here," she said and Hayley walked her to the bed which she flopped on top of in a very ungraceful way. For some reason Hayley wished she had a camera as Rebekah crawled around in the bed before she settled on her back. Pulling the covers up to her chin, Hayley smiled down at Rebekah. "Night, Auntie Bex," Hayley whispered, kissing her lightly on the forehead.

"Night Mummy," Rebekah replied with a loud snicker as Hayley walked out with the wine bottle in hand. She closed the door and walked downstairs. Setting the bottle down on the table near the entryway, Hayley walked out into the night. Getting in Klaus' car, she hoped that whoever the law enforcement of this tiny town was that they were still back at the Grill.

Getting out of the car, Hayley smiled to herself. She figured that Rebekah would enjoy the joke of Klaus' vehicle being parked in the Greyhound parking lot station before she headed inside to catch the last bus. She wanted to get home before Hope woke up the next day. Sure, she had not been able to ask Klaus for help yet but she felt like she had gained far more from her trip than she had expected to. She had found out that her child had a family that she had never had growing up. Now, it was just a matter of time before they all met.

**Okay, I hope that you enjoyed the chapter.**

**Thank you for faving, following, reading and for reviewing. **

**Answers to reviews: **

**Jeremy Shane: Thank you. **

**Guest: I do love the little family moments. **

**Yeahuhhuh: Thank you. I try. **

**Sammiewolf: Thank you. I try to write well. Sometimes. ;)**

**Peace,**

**Jessica **


	5. Chapter 5

**Hello, my lovely readers. Welcome back! In this chapter we have more Haylijah, with a little bit of Josh, Davina, Hope and a guest spot from Kol. Don't worry, we'll see more of him later. And sometime before chapter ten we should see Klaus and his bride-to-be and more Rebekah (who is one of my favorite characters ever). On with the show… **

Chapter 5: Dumbstruck

A week after she crashed Klaus' engagement party, Hayley was walking out of her second job interview. Both of the catering companies were nothing that a good baker would complain about working for. However, Hayley had just been in the middle of running her own bakery and now she was supposed to be someone else's employee? This was not pretty. Altogether it was a nightmare.

Sighing heavily, Hayley sat down on a bench and pulled out a phone. She dialed a familiar number. "Hi, Davina. Oh. I'm sorry. I forgot. Okay. Good luck." Wincing, Hayley hung up the phone. She had forgotten that it was Josh who had taken Hope at three because Davina had a mid-term in her drawing class. Somehow Hayley was not sure how you could have a mid-term in drawing. But apparently you could.

Dialing Josh's number, Hayley rolled her eyes toward the bright blue sky as the phone rang. After the fifth ring, Josh answered. "Hey, Hales, sorry. I was just buying Hope some ice cream and trying to answer the phone with two dripping cones is not an easy task. You know that D's the multi-tasker and I'm the one thing at a time guy." Hayley smirked at Josh's joke.

"Yes, I know. Tell me that you didn't drip on those new shoes you just bought," Hayley teased.

Josh began to chuckle. "I'm surprised you noticed with all the stuff you've been up to lately."

"Yeah, I haven't exactly been paying as much attention as I used to," Hayley told the babysitter as she sat back. She was in a world of guilt. Neglecting the kid, her friends, her life in general just because the bills were everywhere. This was becoming out of control. Hayley really wanted for this to all be over. All she wanted was a new start. This time she would do things right. She would get a partner to help her out with the business part of the bakery. All she needed was a second chance. There were plenty of people who got that every day.

"Can I talk to Hope?" Hayley asked Josh. She heard him telling Hope that her mother wanted to talk to her.

"Hi, Mommy. Josh got me chocolate chip cookie dough ice cream," Hope said excitedly. "And we're going to the zoo later."

"Good. I'm happy that you're happy, baby. I'll see you soon. 'Kay," Hayley told her daughter who was humming to herself with the contentment of a child with an ice cream cone in hand. "I love you plus a billion."

"And to the moon and back," Hope replied with their usual silly nonsense sayings to each other. "Bye, Mommy. Have fun hunting jobs. I hope you get one soooooonnnnn."

"I hope so, too. Bye, baby," Hayley murmured, she did not hang up until her child did first. Allowing her head to fall backward, she stared up at the sky and daydreamed of a better life for two minutes before she forced herself to her feet. Walking down an unfamiliar street, Hayley was shocked when she noticed the name "Paper and Things" scrawled across the window of a shop.

Stopping in front of "Paper and Things," Hayley peered into the shop. It was small and there was nothing odd about it. It looked like an ordinary stationary store. A bit old fashioned but other than that there was nothing that made it stand out. On a whim, Hayley reached out and wrapped her hand around the front door handle and pulled it open. Entering the store, she began to examine the inventory. Nothing out of the ordinary there either.

"Hello, can I help you find anything?" A young man asked, coming to stand beside Hayley.

"No, thanks. I'm just looking," Hayley replied, flipping through a set of sample business cards. They were all very tasteful but she couldn't have afforded to buy a set even when she had her bakery.

"If you change your mind I'll be behind the counter," the man told her with a smile before he walked away.

As she opened her mouth to reply, Hayley heard the sound of a young man yelling from the back room. "Screw you, Lijah. You can keep you're bloody job and stuff it. I'm done filling out papers and dressing like one your bloody suits. I look ridiculous," the young man yelled, his voice moving closer to the outer room where the customers would be.

"Fine, Kol. Quit. That is what you are so very apt at doing. Enjoy your next position as a bellhop. Or shall it be back to waiting tables? I would say dishwasher but I would hate to see you get your hands dirty," Elijah shouted and Hayley smiled in spite herself. She could not believe that Elijah Mikaelson was yelling.

Hayley thought that Elijah was the type who never raised his voice unless someone spilled red wine on his white shirt. Then again, she also thought he was the type who would apologize to the person who spilled the wine and then take his shirt to the dry cleaner and pay the bill himself.

"Go to hell, Lijah," Kol yelled as he stormed out of the back office and then entered into the main room. Yanking at his tie roughly, he walked past Hayley without giving her a second glance as he slammed out the door.

Elijah walked out of his office, his expression set in a deep scowl of annoyance as he stared at the front door. Sweeping his gaze around the room, his eyes landed on Hayley and he looked confused. "Hayley, what are you doing here?"

"I… was looking at your business cards. Very creative," Hayley said, holding up a sample card with wild flowers decorating the borders.

"Yes," Elijah said with a forced smile. "I do believe that the phrase is 'We aim to please.'"

Laughing, Hayley could not help but smile at Elijah's joke. He said it so drily and had such a look of seriousness that it sounded absurd. She could tell that the last thing on Elijah's mind was pleasing anyone. He looked like he wanted to go out in the street and pick a fight with someone. "Do you want to get out of here?" Hayley said and then felt her face flush slightly.

There was a time that Hayley was ruled by her impulses. If she wanted something, she took it. Then she became a mother and had to begin to think not just for herself but for someone who had no one but Hayley to depend on. Elijah's eyebrows rose as his expression became thoughtful. "Yes," he said, looking surprised at his answer. "Thierry, you can take care of things here, yes?"

"Yes, Mr. Mikaelson," Thierry replied with a quick nod.

"Thank you," Elijah called to Thierry. He walked over to the front door and opened it. He stood aside waiting for Hayley to walk out before him and she felt the urge to curtsey. "Where shall we go?" He inquired as they began to walk down the sidewalk.

Hayley folded her arms over her chest and began to think. "I have no idea," she said after a long pause while tucking a piece of hair behind her ear.

Taking a peek at Elijah, Hayley noticed that he had loosed his tie and was in the process of unbuttoning the top buttons of his dress shirt. "It's warm today. Is it not?" Elijah asked conversationally and Hayley realized that he must have noticed that she was watching him.

"Yes. It's really hot today." That day it had reached the upper nineties. Hayley was dressed in the closest thing she had to dress pants and a button down top. Since she had an interview she had wanted to look her best.

"Perhaps we should stop somewhere and get something cool to drink," Elijah suggested.

"Or we could go ahead and stop at my place. You could drop your jacket and tie and I could change," Hayley replied. Thinking of how that sounded Hayley decided to quickly amend her comment. "I mean my apartment is only two blocks away. That's all." God, she sounded like an idiot.

"As you wish," Elijah replied, moving in the direction of her apartment. She was a little shocked that he already seemed to have memorized the directions. Coupled with the fact that his place of business was not so far from her home made Hayley wonder why they had not met before. She wondered how often he actually came to the office.

Entering her building, Hayley felt her heartbeat accelerate. This was going to be the first time that she was alone with Elijah. And they were going to her apartment where they would be alone together. Oh dear Lord, when was the last time she had had sex. Ummm, four years, five months and two days. But who was counting? And now she was going to be alone in her apartment with an incredibly good looking man.

'Yes, he's hot. That doesn't matter. He's the brother of the father of your child. You are not going to have sex with him. It does not matter that he is so… so… Damn it. No, bad, bad, bad Hayley. Down, girl. Big danger zone. Pretend that he's gay. Or that he's your brother. Or think about things that aren't hot. Eggplant. Yes, eggplants are not hot," Hayley thought as she walked to her front door.

"Has that annoying, little troll of a man bothered you since I spoke to him," Elijah inquired from behind Hayley. Turning around, she found that he was right behind her. There was less than an inch between them when he took a step toward her and with the darkness of the hallway, she felt her breath catch.

"What?" Hayley asked, staring up at Elijah who was searching her eyes. His mouth moved upward in a playful smile as he stared down at her. "I'm sorry. What did you ask me?"

"It doesn't matter," Elijah replied with a chuckle. "Did you want to allow me to come inside?" His lips were moving and words were coming out but Hayley could not understand what they meant. All she could concentrate on was the movement of his lips. He had very nice lips. She wondered what they tasted like. 'EGGPLANT,' her mind screamed at her.

"Hayley," Elijah said, placing a hand on the doorframe above her head and she sucked in another deep breath. "If you do not want to invite me inside I understand. After all, you do not know me that well. I can wait in the hallway."

Hayley exhaled slowly. "Yes, you should stay out here in the hall. Because I'm… painting the apartment. Not because I don't trust you." Whirling around, she unlocked the door. Turning to face him, she took his tie and jacket. Then closed the door in his face. Striding over to her desk chair, she threw Elijah's things down and then gripped the back of the piece of furniture. "Cool it, Marshall, you're going to blow this whole plan." Taking deep shuddering breaths, Hayley calmed down by degrees before she walked back to the door. Smoothing her hair, she reopened the door and smiled at Elijah. "Ready to go?"

"I thought that you wanted to change into something more comfortable?" Elijah replied, examining her outfit with one uplifted eyebrow.

Hayley wanted to smack herself for being such an idiot. "Yes, I did and then I remembered that it was laundry day."

"Well, maybe I should not be wasting your time if you have things to do," Elijah replied. "With the painting of the apartment and the laundry." Looking at his watch, Elijah was about to say something else when Hayley felt her anger building again.

"I'm not the one who suggested that we get a drink," Hayley snapped, causing Elijah to frown.

"I'm sorry, Hayley. I did not mean to offend you," Elijah began when Hayley interrupted him.

"You didn't. I was just pointing out that you're the one who suggested the drink and I said yes but that it would be convenient to take your things here first," Hayley informed him.

"Yes, and I suggested drinks because I thought that you came to my place of work because you had something that you wanted to discuss with me," Elijah replied.

"I didn't. I was in the neighborhood and happened to see the shop and you happened to be there," Hayley informed Elijah. She straightened her posture, her eyes glowing. Some part of her was enjoying this.

"How did you know that it was my business?" Elijah replied, his eyes sparkling with humor as if he thought he had caught her up in a lie.

"Because you act like you owned the place. But then again you act that way wherever you are," Hayley smirked as Elijah's eyes widened.

"We have a rain check on breakfast and the park," Elijah pointed out, switching subjects. Apparently he had decided that he had lost the previous argument so he would try to win another.

"Yes, but that did not include drinks," Hayley told him.

Elijah looked thoughtful and then replied. "But that does not mean that we could not exchange plans if the early option did not seem feasible at the time."

Hayley shook her head. If Elijah could switch topics then so could she. "Why did you think that I would come to see you at your place of work?"

"I don't know," Elijah replied. "I'm not even sure why it is that I thought that you knew where it was that I worked."

"Because you're always accusing me of things," Hayley said before she had thought about what she was saying.

"I do not think that that is a fair judgment, Hayley. You have no idea what I think of you," Elijah replied just as quickly.

"What do you think of me, Elijah?" Hayley could not help asking him the question.

"I think that you are a very impulsive young woman," Elijah began when Hayley started to interrupt him again. He held up his hand. "And I also think that you are devoted to your daughter." Smiling at a thought that he was keeping to himself, Elijah stopped speaking.

"And?" Hayley waved a hand, trying to find out what else he wanted to say but had not yet.

"And I think that you're rather lovely," Elijah added just as the woman across the hall came out.

"Do you two think you can take it somewhere else? My husband needs his sleep," the woman yelled at them before slamming her own door closed.

Elijah turned to Hayley and would have begun to laugh if she had not reached out and fisted his shirt in her hand, yanking him inside with all of her strength. Hayley closed the door behind him. Pressing her lips to Elijah's, Hayley really hoped that she did not regret her actions.

Pulling away, Elijah stared down at Hayley, "Hayley, I… are you sure that this is what you want?" Hayley stared up at Elijah and nodded fervently. He did not have be told twice as he picked her up and headed toward her bedroom. Wrapping her legs around his waist, she stopped thinking about eggplants or anything else as he ripped her top open and ran his lips down her neck. No, eggplant was not on the menu in the Marshall household and Hayley was not about to voice a complaint as she yanked Elijah's shirt off and rolled on top of him. To hell with the plan. Right now, all she could see was the only Mikaelson she wanted anything from and money was the last thing on her mind.

**Thank you to everyone who has faved, followed, read and reviewed this chapter. Hope to hear from more of you soon as the Haylijah community grows. **

**Magnolia123: I know. I hope that Claire Holt returns to the show as a cast regular during season three. Not holding my breath, but it would be nice. Then we could get more bonding from the Mikaelson ladies, one born into the family and the other one who will hopefully become a part of the family when the writers stop torturing fans. I say this in a joking manner because I've been known to torture fans. **

**Guest: I do too. I miss their budding friendmance. It made the sadness that accompanied the death of Alaric Saltzman on TVD and the death of one of my biggest bro-OTPs more bearable and then they did it again. Oh, somebody get me a tissue box. STAT!**

**Sammiewolf: I will humbly agree with you. (Klaus-Damon Salvatore smirk). Yes, it's fun to show how long it takes for Hayley to reunite with Klaus to ask him for help so that she begins to bond with his family and begins to question what she's doing here. Just wait until Bekah finds out about Hope. Then there's going to be some major drama between the new friends. And with addition of Klaus and Caroline who will be showing up sometimes soonish. Chaos will surely erupt. **

**Peace,**

**Jessica **


	6. Chapter 6

**Hello, my lovely readers. Happy TO Mondays begin tonight at 8pm (at least in the time zone I'm in). I know that a lot of you are sitting on the edges of your seats to see what happened after where we left Hayley and Elijah so I'm going to say: on with the show…**

Chapter 6: Saved by the Babysitter

Kissing Elijah Mikaelson felt unreal to Hayley. She knew that he was there with her, in her bed. But there was also a part of her that was outside of the situation watching the two of them. They were rolling around on her bed exploring each other's bodies. "Hi," Hayley whispered as she rolled on top of Elijah and he reached up to brush a lock of hair behind her ear.

"Hello to you, too," Elijah whispered back, pressing a light kiss to her collarbone, his hands sliding to brush over the back of her pants making her wonder why she was still wearing them. With any other guy they would have been naked and he would be leaving in the next fifteen minutes with an "I'll call you" which he never would. Somehow Elijah was different. He was taking his time. This was a nice change of pace.

"So how long do you usually take with the foreplay?" Hayley murmured into Elijah's ear who smirked up at her as she pulled back to stare down at him.

Before answering Elijah slid his thumbs under her bra straps and sat up, bringing his face close to hers and making her heart begin to beat frantically with anticipation. "Is that a question or a complaint? Because, Hayley, it has been rare for me to receive too many of the latter."

Hayley began to laugh. "Oh, Elijah, somehow I had you pegged for a humble type of guy," she told him as he pulled her legs around his waist more tightly making her scowl at him. "Tease," she mumbled into his ear.

"I am the humble one in the family. Unless you count Finn," Elijah answered, flipping Hayley onto her back and placing his mouth to the line of exposed stomach just above her pants. She could feel the heat of his breath as his tongue traced her flesh and she was about to scream if he didn't take her pants off when there was the sound of something from the other room. Not registering what the noise was, Hayley pushed Elijah backward and grabbed his belt. Yanking it off, she unbuttoned his pants, moving forward on her knees she was about to pull his shorts down when the noise came again, louder this time.

Groaning, Hayley fell back on the bed.

"If it is that annoying little man I get rid of him," Elijah told her, pressing a quick kiss to her lips before getting off the bed and walking to the door. Hayley stretched out on her back with a yawn. If Elijah wanted to handle whoever it was then she had no problem with that. "Hayley," Elijah called from the door and Hayley propped herself on her elbows, waiting for Elijah to tell her who it was.

"It's Hope and some man," Elijah told her with a frown.

"Shit," Hayley said. She had forgotten that she was late to pick up Hope from Josh. "I'll be there in just a minute," she shouted.

"Take your time," Josh called through the door, causing Elijah to frown again.

"Who is that man with Hope?" Elijah asked, as he strode into the room and picked his shirt up off the floor.

"One of my neighbors," Hayley replied quickly as she buttoned her own shirt and hurried to the door. "Hey, Josh. Hi, baby," Hayley said, leaning down and kissing her daughter on the forehead before allowing them into the apartment. She felt relieved when she found that Elijah had tucked his shirt back into his pants. He looked as he did before they had entered the apartment.

"Oh, my," Josh exclaimed with a wide grin that said that he did not believe that nothing had been going on between the two. "I'm sorry. Should we come back later?"

As Hayley tried to formulate a response that would not lead to more uncomfortable questions, Hope went flying toward Elijah. "Elijah," she squealed, throwing herself into his arms as he bent to pick her up. "You came back. I thought that Mommy scared you off. She does that sometimes."

"Hope," Hayley admonished with a frown.

"Hello, I'm Elijah Mikaelson," Elijah called to Josh, holding out his hand to the younger man.

"Hellooo there, Mr. Mikaelson. I'm Josh, Hayley's neighbor." Josh informed Elijah. "I wouldn't have brought the little one back so soon if I had known that you two needed to… ummm… talk." Finishing with a laugh, Josh jammed his hands into his pockets. "So… how do you know our Hayley?"

Hayley bit her lower lip, she loved Josh but sometimes he did not know when to just shut up and go away. "We just met." Elijah told him. "About a week ago. She was looking for my brother but as luck would have it she found me instead."

"Is your brother as cute as you are?" Josh asked automatically and Hayley grinned. Walking over to her coffee maker, Hayley decided to make a pot while the men tried to figure out who the other one was. Mainly, she wanted to stay out of a horribly awkward conversation. And in the meantime she would try to cool down from the events that were rudely interrupted. Opening the freezer, she pulled out an ice cube and began to run it over the back of her neck.

"Are you hot, Hayley?" Josh asked from behind her, making her jump.

"Oh, Jesus," Hayley cried as she dropped the ice down the back of her shirt and she felt it slide down the back and into her pants. Not the worst place it could find to settle but a bit embarrassing.

Twisting her head, Hayley found that Josh was looking in the freezer. "I was looking for a popsicle for Hope. If you don't have any I could go down the hall and grab some. Then I saw you with the ice…" Lowering his voice, Josh began to whisper to Hayley. "Where did you really find him? I mean, Hayley, I don't think that I've ever seen you bring a guy home. Do you want me or D to take Hope sometime so that you two can… whatever it is you want to do with him?"

Hayley felt her cheeks beginning to burn. "Josh." Sighing, Hayley reached into the freezer and pulled out a grape popsicle. "Put this in your mouth and think before you speak again."

"Yes, Mom," Josh replied, unwrapping his frozen treat and sticking it in his mouth. Hayley could still see a wide smile on his face and stopped herself from smacking him. Pulling out three more popsicles, she retraced her steps back to where Hope was telling Elijah all about how the giraffe at the zoo was that much taller than he was.

"He was this tall," Hope was saying, stretching her arm above Elijah's head to show him how tall the animal was.

"Oh, and how do you know that it was a he?" Elijah teased the child whose eyes widened.

"I don't know," Hope replied and then looked to Hayley. "Mommy, how can you tell if the giraffe is a boy or a girl?" Elijah's eyebrows rose at Hope's question while Josh began to choke as he began to laugh with the popsicle still in his mouth.

"What kind of popsicle would you like?" Hayley inquired, changing the subject and Josh shook his head coughing into his curled fist.

"Orange. Elijah, did you come to take me to breakfast and the park?" Hope asked Elijah.

This sent Josh into another laughing fit. "Josh, isn't Project Runway on?" Hayley asked her babysitter who shook his head "no" and then realized what Hayley was trying to do.

"You know, come to think of it you've got the full season of Grey's, right?" Josh went over to look through Hayley's DVD collection and began to search.

Turning around, Hayley looked at Elijah. "Elijah, didn't you say that you had a meeting?" His head lifted from where he had been examining the popsicle that Hope had said would make a cool hair color.

"I'm sorry, what?" Elijah asked, absentmindedly adjusting Hope on his hip and smiling when she tried to feed him her treat. "Oh, thank you, sweetheart but I can get one of my own."

Walking over to her daughter and the girl's uncle, Hayley held up the remaining popsicles. "Cherry or Orange?" She asked. As much as she wanted to kick him out of her apartment before things became more awkward, she also wanted him to stay.

"Cherry," Elijah said, holding out his empty hand for the frozen junk on a stick. "Klaus likes Orange."

"Oh, my favorite is cheery, too," Hayley told him as she unwrapped her popsicle.

"Who's Klaus?" Hope asked Elijah who looked at Hayley as his lips pursed. She could see he was posed to give the child an answer but was waiting for Hayley to reply. "Is he your friend, Elijah? Like Josh. He likes boys."

"Hope, it's not nice to tell people other people's personal business," Hayley scolded and Hope stuck her bottom lip out. For a moment Hayley saw an image of Rebekah and shook her head to rid herself of it.

"It's okay. It's not like I keep it a deeply guarded secret," Josh called as he opened the box to _Grey's_ season one and stuck it in the DVD player. "I love Patrick Dempsey. He's got great hair."

"Who's Klaus?" Hope cried out loudly. Hayley felt uncomfortable about why her daughter was fixating on Klaus.

"He's my friend… and my brother," Elijah answered slowly.

Hope smiled and then frowned. "I don't have a brother. Maybe I will one day. After you marry my Mommy then you can make me a baby brother."

"Hope Marshall," Hayley yelled and then winced when Hope's lower lip began to wobble. "Hope, you can't say things like that to people. Elijah, I'm so sorry."

"I think I gave her too much sugar," Josh told Hayley. "Hey, kiddo, want to watch some silly people get cut up and play kissy face?"

"Okay," Hope said, holding out her arms to Josh. "But first I want to hug Elijah good-bye," wrapping her arms tightly around Elijah's neck, Hope squeezed whispering, "Bye." Letting go she allowed Josh to take her.

"Good-bye, Hope," Elijah called, waving at her as she sat on the couch and waved back with both arms flying.

"Well, this has been an exciting day," Hayley told Elijah as she stood close to the door. Elijah was leaning with his back against the doorframe. "I guess I'll see you around

"Unless you would like to make a plan to see each other… sooner rather than later," Elijah replied as he looked down at her and Hayley searched his eyes trying to figure out what he was thinking. However, she could find no clue. He was his usual calm self and she found that infuriating. Why could he not show some kind of emotion that would tell her that he felt something, anything? It was ridiculous. She did not need this kind of drama in her life. She would be better off if he just left and never came back.

"I don't know if that would be such a good idea," Hayley replied quietly. She did not want Hope to hear her and to protest. That would just make this even more difficult.

"If that is what you wish," Elijah replied. Turning, he reached out and unlocked the door and then twisted the knob. Hayley wanted to beg him to not go but she refused to do that. She was not needy.

"Good-bye, Hayley," Elijah said with a smile.

"Good-bye," Hayley replied as she closed the door and she could see him walking down the hall.

Pressing her head against the door, Hayley cursed her life and herself for being a fool and for being a proud fool on top of it. Turning around, Hayley saw that Elijah had left his jacket and tie on the back of her desk chair. "Josh, I've got to take those things to Elijah," Hayley said as she hurried over to grab the belongings of her guest.

"Sure, take your time," Josh called, his eyes glued to the screen.

Hayley went to the door and pulled it open. She locked the door before running toward the stairs. Taking the extra time to make sure she did not fall was killing her as she got to the front door. Yanking it open, Hayley ran out to the sidewalk and began to run down the street hoping that she would see Elijah. As she went around a corner, she collided with a man and gasped.

"Hayley," Elijah seemed amused as he caught her around the waist.

"Hi, I was looking for you. You forgot you're jacket and," Elijah did not give her time to finish her sentence as he covered her lips with his. "Tie," Hayley finished as he pulled away. "We have to stop doing that," she breathed while reaching out and pulling him to her and kissing him back.

"Hayley, what are doing?" Elijah asked when she pulled away from him.

"I have no idea but it feels incredible," Hayley told him as he pulled her to him again.

"Get a room," someone yelled at them but they did not care because they were far too interested in each other.

Finally, Elijah took a step backward. Pulling out his wallet, he withdrew a card and began to write on it. "This is my number at work, one at home and my cell. You call me anytime and we can figure out what exactly this is," he said before pulling her to him and kissing her again.

Sighing as Elijah stopped kissing her and began to walk away, Hayley wanted to follow him. She wanted him to take her home with him but she needed to go home. There were things that she needed to do. Smiling to herself, Hayley walked back to her apartment. Having no idea what she was going to do with the card, she tucked it into her pocket and walked back into her building. Perhaps she would call. Perhaps she wouldn't. Thinking of Elijah's lips, Hayley had a feeling that she would be calling him sooner than later. She just hoped that she did not come to regret it.

**Amke00: Hey, I'm going to make a guess and say that scene probably didn't play out exactly how readers expected but I want to drag it out a little before we have a proper love scene between our two stars. It won't be forever, but it will be a little while. **

**Guest: I know and I do, too. I really hope that that's their end game but if the show continues we will probably have to watch them become involved with other people and have all kinds of problems before they're finally together. **

**Sammiewolf: I know and then they were stopped. Sorry. I am really excited for the chapter when Bekah finds out who Hayley is and about Hope. It is going to be so much fun to write. I'm also looking forward to writing about Kol, Finn and Caroline finding out as well. Those chapters will be explosive. And I'm thinking that Elijah is going to be hearing some not so friendly words from Klaus when he finds that he his brother knew about his child and kept it from him. **

**Peace,**

**Jessica**


	7. Chapter 7

**Hello, my lovely readers. In this chapter we see more creepy landlord, more Davina and Elijah. On with the show…**

Chapter 7: Paid in Full

Heaving a sigh, Hayley looked at her planner. It was empty of social work related plans. However, it was full of bills that needed to be paid. Had it really been a month? Holy shit, she had forgotten to pay the rent again. "No," Hayley muttered. Walking to her building she opened the front door and then stopped to knock on the door of her landlord's apartment with dread.

"Hayley? There a problem with your plumbing 'gain? I can send someone 'morrow," Crueger told her. He had only opened his door partially and Hayley wondered if he was drunk. His speech was also slightly more slurry than usual. Then she noticed that his nose was at an odd angle. If she was not mistaken she would say that it was broken.

"No," Hayley answered slowly. "I was here to talk about the rent," she felt confused as Crueger eyed her suspiciously.

"Why?" Crueger asked.

"Because I was late again and you told me that if I was late again that you would throw me out," Hayley replied feeling confused as Crueger shook his head.

"Nope. That's not a problem," Crueger told her and he started to shut the door.

Hayley was not sure why she was about to argue with him but she couldn't help herself. "What are you talking about?"

"It's paid," Crueger told her. "That's all. Now, please, go away." Closing the door, Crueger could be heard walking away from the door.

Hayley did not understand. Walking upstairs. She opened her door and then closed the door behind her. Davina had taken Hope to the park so Hayley had an hour to go over which bills still needed to be paid and which could wait a week. Sitting down at her desk, she picked up the electric bill and dialed a number. After fifteen minutes someone picked up to inform her that her bill was paid in full. Then she called the phone company. That was paid as well. Feeling confused, she called the loan company and was informed that her loan had been paid in full two weeks ago. "By who?" Hayley asked but the clerical could not tell her.

Hanging up the phone, Hayley sat back in her chair. Now, she was truly confused. She knew that she had not won the lottery and no one had sent her a check for a million dollars. So, what the hell was going on? Who paid her bills? Hearing a knock on her door, Hayley got up and headed to the door. Looking out the peephole she saw that it was Davina with Hope.

"Hey," Hayley greeted the two as she opened the door.

"You will never guess what happened today?" Davina said as she swept into the room humming a tune.

"You won the lottery," Hayley replied with a smile.

"Better," Davina said with a dreamy smile as she fell onto the couch. Hope climbed onto the couch and then on top of her babysitter's lap.

"Davina is in love," Hope announced in a sing-song voice. "With a boy with a wooden thingy."

"A wooden thingy," Hayley repeated with a laugh as she came to stand above the two.

Davina rolled her eyes with the same big grin on her lips. "Yes, a boy with a wooden thingy or as I would call it a violin."

"A vi-ol-in," Hope sang. "A boy with a vi-ol-in. He plays with it and looks goofy."

"He does not," Davina protested tickling Hope who giggled loudly.

"He does, too. He looks like a goofy guy with a wooden thingy. He's not as cute as Eli-jah," Hope told Davina.

"How is Eli-jah?" Davina asked. Ever since the night that Josh had come over and met him Davina had been trying to find out who the mysterious Elijah was and what he did and when he and Hayley were getting married. She seemed to think that it was as funny as Hope did.

"I have no idea," Hayley replied. "Haven't heard from him. I have too many things to do right now. And he's a very busy man."

"Why don't you call him? I mean it doesn't look like you're doing anything right now," Davina pointed out as she raised her eyebrows with a defiant look on her face.

"I do so have things to do. Lots of things to do. For one thing I plan to start up a catering business," Hayley told Davina who sat up straight.

"Really? That would be great. I'm so happy for you. When are you planning on beginning? Do you have any clients? Or employees?" Taking a breath, Davina's eyes widened. "And how are you going to get the money to start with?"

Smiling, Hayley shrugged. "Oh, I have my ways."

"You mean you have a mysterious benefactor?" Davina inquired. "All Cinderella like."

"Cinderella," Hope sang. "I want to watch Cinderella." Beginning to jump up and down on the couch, Hope clapped her hands as Hayley walked over to grab the DVD off the shelf.

"Sit down," Hayley ordered as she placed the DVD into the player. Hope flopped down and grabbed a pillow, placing it on top of her lap and laying on her stomach. Walking into the kitchen, Hayley pulled out a glass. "So, what's his name?"

Turning around, Hayley gave Davina a knowing look as the girl came into the kitchen and opened the refrigerator. "Do you have any cheese? And his name is Tim."

"Top drawer," Hayley replied. "He plays the violin. Did you talk to him?"

"Yes, I mean a little. I had my eye on Hope the whole time," Davina was saying as she eased the top drawer open and pulled out a wedge of Swiss.

Hayley pulled open a drawer and took out a cheese slicer. "Do you want crackers with that?"

"Yes," a voice called from the living room. "And hot cocoa."

"Right," Davina added with another grin. "He was really sweet."

"First love," Hayley said knowingly.

Davina nodded, her grin widening as she began to slice the cheese. "Oh, yes, he is definitely first love worthy. Not like the guys in high school. Ugh, Oliver. He was so nice and then he turned into a jerk… But Tim is quiet and shy. He's just so…"

"Unique?" Hayley's eyebrows rose as Davina looked thoughtful.

"Yeah, I think so. I don't. I mean I guess we'd have to spend more time for me to figure out whether I'm right about him. But I think this could be awesome. I've never felt this excited about meeting someone before this. Have you ever felt that way?" Davina asked as she placed the cheese in a circle on top of a plate that Hayley placed in front of her.

"No, not really," Hayley told her with a shake of her head.

Then it occurred to her that she did feel that way about someone. She felt that way about Elijah. However, he was not someone that she could have something lasting with. He was her daughter's uncle. They were better off as either friends or nothing at all. If she spent too much time with him then that would mean that she would have to be around Klaus and he might decide that he wanted that she had not done a good enough job with Hope and that he and Caroline could do much better…

Shoving the thought out of her head, Hayley turned around and grabbed the empty coffee pot. Walking over to the sink, she filled the pot with water and then walked back over to the coffee maker to warm the water. Pushing the button to turn the coffee maker on, she moved to pull down three mugs.

'Chocolate, mugs, spoons, water,' Hayley listed in her head silently. Minus any bills that needed to be paid meant that she could actually sit down and relax for five minutes. But who was her mysterious benefactor and did she really want to know that answer. If she found out that it was Elijah she might begin to feel guilty. That would mean that he was looking out for her.

Rolling her eyes and popping a cracker into her mouth, Hayley walked over to the couch and began to watch Cinderella for the five hundredth time. Yes, this was exciting. What else could she want? She had her kid, her cheese and the coffee maker was going off. Getting up with a yawn, Hayley walked back into the kitchen and turned it off.

As Hayley poured the water into the three mugs, Hayley began to think about what Davina had said earlier. She did not have any employee for this new business venture. She didn't even have a catering license. How was she going to gather the money for those things? A mental picture of Elijah popped into her head and Hayley shoved it away only to have it pop back up. 'No,' she scolded herself. She had already taken enough from him. Coming back into the living room, Hayley set the mugs down.

"Chocolate," Hope cried with a happy smile as she settled into her mother's side and continued to watch her movie.

When Cinderella was over, Davina picked Hope up and took her to her room. The child was out cold and Hayley was having a hard time keeping her own eyes open. "Hey, Davina do you know anyone who has a license to cater?" Hayley asked her babysitter. It sounded funny but in New Orleans you never knew.

Davina nodded. "Yes, my friend, Monique, well, she used to be a friend, anyway. Her aunt, used to run her own catering company before she had to shut it down. She might know how you could start one up."

"Oh, do you know how I could find this aunt?" Hayley asked, placing her hand over her mouth as she yawned.

"Rousseau's. It's the quarter. That's where she works now as a cook," Davina told her.

There was just a little bit of information that Hayley needed before she could allow the babysitter to go back to her own apartment. "What's the aunt's name?"

"Sophie Ann. Sophie Ann Devereux." Davina supplied. "She's nice most of time. Unless she's stressed. Then she might get a little cranky. But overall she's always been pretty great to me even after Monique and I had our falling out."

"About what?" Hayley inquired although she was never one that liked to deal with any kind of teen drama but Davina was a friend so she could for once. And you can never tell when something like that could become important.

"It was about a boy. What else?" Davina said with a laugh. "Isn't it always about a boy when you break up with your friends?"

"Or because they were never your friend in the first place," Hayley replied knowingly.

"Truer words were never spoken," Davina replied as she headed toward the door. "Have a good night, Hayley, and try to get some sleep. I think that you need it."

"Thanks. See you soon," Hayley called as she got up to lock the door. Turning around, she went back to the couch and turned on a reality TV show. Sometimes they were funny. Sometimes they were just plainly stupid but she did not want to think. Laying down on the couch, she took one of the pillows and tucked it under her chin. Closing her eyes, she began to drift to sleep.

It was not long before Hayley's mind began to escape to dreamland. "Hello, Hayley," Elijah said. He was wearing one of those suits that fit him in all the places that made it harder for Hayley to leave him alone. "Why haven't you told Niklaus about Hope yet?" he asked her causing her to frown. She thought that he would be taking off his clothes and telling how much he loved her. This was her subconscious speaking and even it couldn't be kind to her.

"I… I'm waiting for the right time," Hayley attempted to explain. "And why am I trying to explain myself to you. You're not really here?"

"Because I know about Hope's connection to Klaus. And if you do not tell I will eventually. What will you do if he wants his daughter, Hayley? You took away his right to know her. You made the decision for him. Did you even give him a chance to show you what kind of father he would be to the child? Is that fair to Hope?" Elijah continued to speak as Hayley tried to walk away from him.

Hayley kept walking away from Elijah and he kept following her through the room. There were no doors. She could not escape him. "Hayley, do you really believe that you were doing what was in Hope's best interests? She had an entire family that would be thrilled to meet her but you have kept her all to yourself. What kind of woman does that? And this scheme of starting a catering company? How will that work out? Will it not be like the last failed adventure? Don't all of your adventures end in failure?"

"Get out of my head. You're not real," Hayley yelled at Elijah who simply smiled and placed his hand in his pocket. "You're not the real Elijah. You're just some stupid trick in my head." She screamed at Elijah who shook his head.

"And me. Hayley, are you kidding yourself? Why would I truly be interested in you? I only wanted you for sex. Then you would become pregnant and how would that look to my family? Dear God, what was I thinking? Rebekah is right. I do have the worst taste in women. On the bright side for both of us I can correct my mistake and find a woman worthy of my affections, not someone who only wants what is in my bank account." Elijah began to walk away as Hayley slunk to the floor, tears running down her cheeks as she began to rock back and forth.

Waking up in a cold sweat, Hayley ran a hand over her forehead. "It was just a dream," Hayley whispered to herself. "It was a horrible dream." Getting up, she walked into the bathroom and closed the door with an inch open to be able to hear Hope if she cried out. Turning on the water, she undressed, climbed in and wrapped her arms around her knees as she allowed all the emotion that she had let grow pent up, out.

Sobbing into her bare knees, Hayley felt her entire body shake as she let the despair, fear, rage and disappointment pour out of her. You could only be strong so long before you had to accept the pain and to let it go. Leaning back against the bathtub, Hayley dried her eyes. Tomorrow she would go and meet Auntie Sophie and she would figure out how to get this business running. She would talk to Klaus. And then she would figure out where she and Hope needed to go next. New Orleans had worn out its charm and she needed to find somewhere new for them to go. That is how she had always lived her life and probably always would.

Tomorrow she would find Elijah's number and she would rip it up because there was nothing that spending more time him would do other than get her hurt. Yeah, she would get rid of his number tomorrow. She would do a lot of things tomorrow. Getting up and out of the bathtub before she became one of those tragic stories about people who accidently drowned in their bathtubs, Hayley walked into her bedroom and laid down.

Hayley did not notice that her phone had needed to be charged. Otherwise she might have known that someone had been trying to call for the past hour but could not get through. The same person that she had decided to write off forever.

**Answers to reviews: **

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**Peace,**

**Jessica**


	8. Chapter 8

**Hello, my lovely readers. And we're back with a brand new chapter with Haylijah, some surprises and some new faces. On with the show…**

Chapter 8: Time Flies: Part I

Lying on her side Hayley felt happy as she snuggled closer to the warm body next to hers. When was the last time she had slept next to someone? Probably when Hope was a baby. But this was very different. This was an adult body that curved around hers with a few extra inches to spare with his head resting on her shoulder. Hayley tried to not giggle. She was not really the type to turn into a giggly idiot when she felt the slightest amount of joy.

"Good morning," Elijah whispered into her ear and Hayley felt her lips curl up as a damn giggle erupted causing the male in her bed to smile before kissing her lightly on the lips.

Rolling over to face Elijah, Hayley ran a hand through his hair. He caught her hand and kissed the inside of her palm before giving her a look that made her toes curl as another giggle escaped her. "Good morning," Hayley whispered back while curling her free hand behind his neck and pulling his lips to hers. Elijah placed his free hand on her lower back and pulled her atop him. Kissing her till all rational thoughts had left her mind, Hayley barely registered the sound of the door knob twisting and the bed shifting as more weight was applied.

Removing her lips from Elijah's and turning her head to the side, Hayley found herself face to face with her daughter who was smiling at them. "Good morning, Mommy. Mornin' Elijah," Hope said with giggle. At that moment Hayley was very glad that she was wearing her pyjamas.

**Forty-eight hours earlier: **

Hayley was terribly nervous. It had been some time since she had had to interview for a job. That was one of the perks of running your own business. You didn't have to worry about what a possible employer would think of you. When a wary looking woman came around a counter and her eyes landed on a nervous Hayley she smiled. "Hi. I'm Jane Anne Deveraux. You must be Hayley Marshall. My daughter's friend, Davina, told me that you were looking for work." Jane Anne offered her hand before consulting the application, her eyebrows rose. "So, you used to run your own company? What happened, if you don't mind my asking?"

"We weren't earning as much as I had hoped that we would and when black turns to red and the bill collectors are calling more than custumers then you know it's time to throw in the towel," Hayley explained with a shrug.

Nodding, Jane Anne continued to read the application like it was the first time that she had read it. Hayley had forgotten how nervous that you could become when waiting for a potential employer to decide whether to hire you or not. She knew from experience that most employers make up their mind about whether they're going to hire you within the first five minutes. Not always, but most of the time this was the case. Looking Hayley in the eye, Jane Anne leaned against the table. "Do you think you'll feel comfortable as someone's employee after being in the role as your own boss?"

Hayley sucked in a deep breath. She had not taken the time to even process the idea. "I have a child. I don't really have choice," she replied slowly and then added a smile as Jane Anne's expression became sympathetic.

"I completely understand. When Monique was a baby I had to work two jobs and my sister, Sophie was living with us at the time so the rent was not quite as bad but it was still tight," Jane Anne explained as she closed the folder that Hayley's application was in. "So, I can start you at ten dollars an hour but after six months I look at your progress and we'll talk about giving you a raise. Given your background I could imagine you being promoted to management within a year. That would mean that you'll be making twice as much with the possibility of a bonus each year depending on our earnings for the year. How does that sound?"

Smiling, Hayley replied, "Sounds great." Inwardly she had to prevent herself from wincing at the amount she would be earning per hour given the fact that that was not too much over minimum wage. On the other hand a job was a job.

"Good. Then if you're not busy today I'd like to show you around the place and we'll see what you think," Jane Anne was saying as she got to her feet. Hayley stood and followed Jane Anne around the counter. "The woman over there placing a cake in the oven is my sister, Sophie. The girl icing cupcakes is my daughter Monique. Her friends Cassie and Abigail will be here later today."

As Hayley's eyes traveled over the room she spotted a young man with blonde hair pulled into a short ponytail picking up a set of trays and carrying them out a back door. "That would be Oliver. He's taking food out to one of our trucks to deliver to a party. And that is his brother, Jackson," Sophie pointed out a tall dark haired man who looked up at the sound of his name and winked at Hayley with a grin. "Oh, and here's the woman who will be showing you the ropes, Cami," Jane Anne greeted a young blonde woman who was sipping a Diet Coke while sitting on an upside down crate.

"Hey," Cami said with a grin. "I clocked out for my break this time," she informed Jane with an innocent smile.

"That would be a first," Jane Anne teased with a smile as she placed a hand on Hayley's arm. "This is Hayley. She's going to be joining us tomorrow morning. That's not too soon, right?" Jane Anne asked as she shifted her gaze to Hayley who shook her head.

"I could start today if you needed me," Hayley replied as Cami's eyebrows rose and she let out a laugh.

"Someone's eager for the torture to begin," Cami announced as she got up and tossed her can into a recycling bin.

"Torture?" Jane Anne queried with a mock hurt look aimed at Cami.

Cami shrugged. "Carrying all those trays of delicious food and champagne around. Now, that is torture."

"Oh, come on. Think of how much fun it is when the clients treat you like you're a freakin' statue. There to hold their drinks," Oliver said snidely as he appeared behind Cami who smirked while folding her arms over her chest.

"You eat the leftovers," Cami pointed out and Oliver rolled his eyes.

"Or they'd go in the trash. Guys got to eat and Jane doesn't pay us enough," Oliver muttered as he picked up another tray.

"I pay you what you deserve," Jane shot after Oliver's retreating back and he waved her off.

"So we've got a new girl in our midst," Jackson said as he came in and offered Hayley his hand.

"Woman," Jane Anne corrected with a stern look directed at Jackson as Hayley took his hand.

"The new woman," Jackson corrected himself with a grin flashed in Jane Anne's direction. Then he focused on Hayley. "I'm Jackson," he told her with an intense gaze that made Hayley grin widely.

"Hayley," Hayley replied as she shook Jackson's hand. He was cute but off limits. There was no way that she was going to start some kind of torrid work place affair. Then again he might come in handy to ward off Elijah. Not that Elijah was really all that interested in her. He was more interested in protecting his brother from her. What a joke.

"Something's going through that head of yours and I love to be in there to find out what it is," Jackson murmured to Hayley and Jane Anne coughed loudly. "And that would be my cue to help Ollie. I'll see you around, Hayley." Jackson told Hayley as he turned around and walked off to collect more food to load into the waiting truck.

"Don't mind him. Jackson flirts with everyone," Cami said as she moved toward a refrigerator and pulled out another Diet Coke. "This is for employees. So if you get hungry or thirsty there's usually something in there. Whether it's a cake that was baked and the client changed their mind at the last minute or drinks that are for everyone, there's usually something in there."

"Great," Hayley replied as she covered her mouth. For some reason she was tired. Then she noticed that it was seven p. m. How had she been here for three hours? She needed to call Josh and make sure that he didn't have plans tonight. "Excuse me," she said to Jane Anne. "I've got to call the sitter and make sure that he's got time to stay."

"Not a problem," Jane Anne replied.

Walking back around the counter, Hayley dialed Josh's number. "Hello, you've reached Josh. And Davina. We're not home right now. So, if you leave you're number and a message D will get back to you. Josh," Davina yelled as Josh laughed and the beep sounded. Hanging up, Hayley called Josh's cell. After the phone rang five times, Josh answered.

"Lift me higher, Aiden," Hope yelled in the background. "Now, twirl me real fast," the child enthused before she began to scream happily.

"Hello," Josh greeted Hayley who snorted.

"What are you doing with my kid, Josh?" Hayley inquired. She wasn't worried. Just mildly curious about where Josh and Aiden had taken her daughter.

"We're at this art festival thing that Davina talked us into. It's to support the art program. Some guy is talking to her about buying one of her works," Josh said. "Not sure that I like him. He's a little too smooth. Wait. No, it's not him who wants to buy. It's his brother. I guess he's some kind of artist himself. Klaus something," Josh was whispering.

"Klaus?" Hayley replied, feeling her head begin to ache. "Klaus Mikaelson?"

"Yeah, that's it. How did you know?" Josh asked more loudly this time. "It's Hayley. Hey, baby, want to talk to your mom?"

Hayley was still reeling from this unexpected news when Hope's voice rang in her ear. "Hi, mommy. Did you find a job yet?" Hope asked eagerly.

"Yeah, baby," Hayley replied on autopilot. And what Josh said about Klaus being with his brother? It couldn't be Elijah. Could it? And he was flirting with Davina? Clutching the phone more tightly in her palm, Hayley felt her blood beginning to boil. She should have known that his whole act was fake. Jerk. But Josh had met Elijah. He would know who Elijah was. Okay. So which brother was this?

"Mommy. There's a nice man here who's going to buy Davina's picture. He told me that I was a princess and bought me cotton candy," Hope exclaimed loudly. Hayley rolled her eyes. She had still not been able to reinforce the idea of stranger danger in her daughter's head who still believed that ninety-nine percent of people were kind.

"Baby, you can't take gifts from strangers," Hayley informed the child.

"It's okay. Josh is with me. He wouldn't let anything bad happen to me. Not ever. And I ate all the candy so I can't give it back," Hope told her.

"Uh huh," Hayley replied and then she heard Klaus' voice in the background.

"Tell your mother that I apologize. I understand that you can never be too careful when it comes to the welfare of one's children," Klaus was saying and Hope began to giggle.

"My mommy thinks you might be a stranger danger man. But I think she's wrong. Like she was about Elijah. He's nice," Hope said and Hayley felt her eyes widen. Shit. She could not stop Hope from saying too much because she was nowhere in the immediate vicinity and Josh had no idea what was going on. This was bad. This was very, very bad.

"And who is Elijah?" Klaus inquired lightly.

"He's my uncle," Hope said with another giggle. "And he likes my mommy."

"Ah, I have a brother named Elijah as well," Klaus told Hope. "Oh, I'm sorry. My fiancee is calling. I must leave you. Have a good night, Princess Hope." With that Klaus voice drifted away.

Feeling relieved, Hayley turned around to be confronted with a blonde woman whose eyes widened as they nearly collided. "I am soooo sorry," the woman said with a wide smile. "Excuse me," she added before side stepping and walking toward the counter. "Well, Klaus. I had a lot of things to do today. Yes, I know that it is late to be looking for a caterer. But I've been looking all day. Literally looking. Like I've been all over the French Quarter trying to find the perfect one. And nothing. Zip. Zilch. Nothing."

As Hayley eavesdropped on the conversation she realized that the young woman was Caroline Forbes. She hadn't recognized her because this was the first time she saw the girl in a pair of jeans and t-shirt. Caroline was usually dressed in a dress or an outfit that was far outside Hayley's price range. Now, the blonde was rubbing her temple with her free hand. "I know. I'll be back at the hotel soon. Yes, I know. Yes, I am paying attention. No, no one is following me. No, no one has approached me. No, I am not going to be escorted around the city. You're being ridiculous. No, I am not going to call Elijah and ask him to take me back. A taxi is fine. No. No. NO. KLAUS. Sorry, honey, you're breaking up," Caroline was saying while making buzzing sounds and then hung up before giving Hayley an exasperated look. "Paranoid soon to be husband. If he had his way about it I wouldn't go anywhere without armed security guards."

Hayley forced a smile. "That sounds a bit excessive. But at least you know that he thinks you're important," she quipped.

"Yeah, it's nice when I don't feel like I can't even go to the bathroom without someone following me in," Caroline said wistfully. "Anyway," the blond began as she scanned the menu and then her eyes drifted to Hayley. "Have you ever used this company before?"

"No, but I was just hired here and the woman who owns the place, Jane Anne, she has been known to see to every little detail of her clients. She's what you would call a perfectionist and I'm sure that even if what you're looking for is not on the menu that her sister, Sophie Anne, will be able to prepare it to you specification," Hayley informed Caroline whose eyes were beginning to sparkle.

"And you would be part of the team to help make my dream wedding become a success?" Caroline inquired as she waited for Hayley's reply.

"Of course. So, you'll have someone on the inside to inform you of every little detail down to the last minute on the catering front," Hayley replied with wide smile of her own. She might have lost her own business but that did not mean that she lost her ability to win over new clients.

"You're hired," Caroline enthused. "I mean this company is hired. But I like your pitch. You should be running your own company," she said as she pulled out her phone and began to text at a rapid pace. "Will you be here tomorrow?"

"Bright and early," Hayley retorted.

"Good. I will see you tomorrow morning," Caroline said with another cheerful smile before she exited the catering company.

"Great job, Hayley. Maybe I should have you work on our advertising," Jane Anne called as she appeared from behind the counter. "But for now I want you to go home and rest before you come back to make sure that we keep the eager bride happy."

Hayley could feel her heart pounding in her chest as she walked home. She now had a way to gain access to Klaus through Caroline's unwitting help. However, she was sure that she would run into Elijah at some point. Now, she just had to figure out a way of making sure that Elijah did not expose her and Hope's identities to the bride or groom. How she was going to do that was another story entirely.

TBC…

**Thank you for reading, faving, following and reading. **

**Answers to reviews:**

**Sammiewolf: It's back! And I'm sure you have a million questions. **

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**Hello, Dumia!: I love to write AU fics because it allows me as a fanfic writer because it gives me more room to explore the possibilities of the characters which is funny because all fanfiction stories are AU to an extent. Yes, this part of the story is sweet but there is more than meets than eye about Elijah and Hayley is going to find out some time in the next ten chapters how little she knows about the Mikaelson family. **

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**Peace,**

**Jessica**


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